antonoff



G. N. ANTONOFF.

ELECTRICBATTERY.

APPLICATION FILED 'AuG..12v, me.

1,303,843. l Patented May 20, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Figl

G. N. ANTONOFF.

ELECTRIC BATTERY.

APPLLcATlou FILED Aue. 12. 191s.

1,303,843. Patented May 20, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Doy s GEORGE NIKOLAYEVICH ANTON OFF, F LONDON', ENGLAND.-

ELECTRIC BATTERY;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2o, 191e.

' Application med August 12, 191s. serial No. 249,552.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE NIKOLAYEVICH ANroNorr, a subject of Russia, and residing at India House, Kingsway, London, WV. C., 2, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements Relating to Electric Batteries, of which the following is a specification. Y

This invention relates to electric batteries, and especially to primary cellswhether in the. wet or so-called dry form inl which zinc is used as the source of energy, and carbon is used for'the negative pole with manganese dioxid as the depolarizer. The carbon electrode has usually in close contact with it a mixture consisting of finely dividedmanganese dioxid and linely divided graphite, with or without an agglutinant,molded or pressed together under a heavy pressure, and it has hitherto been believed that better results were obtained, the higher the pressure employed.

It has even been proposed to employ pressures as high as 2000 lbs. per square inch. Again, in form of cell having a movable zinc plate it has been proposed to employ springs pressing the Plate through a flexible diaphragm against a cellulose layer impregnated with the electrolyte which in turn presses on the depolarizer mixture within the containing casing.I

Now I have found by experiment that` there is a critical point in the relation between the internal resistance of the cell, vandl the pressure to which the mixture of manganese dioxid and carbon has been subjected. As the pressure to which the mixture has been submitted is increased from zero` the internal resistance isfound to diminish up to a point, and after that lis passed, to increase steadily. f

Further, inthe ordinary I 'Jeclanch cell on closed circuit through an external resistance of say 10 ohms for example, the characteristic of the current or electromotiveforce curve plotted to a time base is thatit rapidly falls from the beginning, has a. short approximately horizontal part about the relgion of 0:8 of volt, and then falls away rapidly again, becoming in a short time practically useless.

Now I have found that when the depo.

larizing mixture has been compressed to about the point which gives the least internal resistance, the horizontal part of the lenously welded to the cylinder.

The invention also consists .in the im proved Leclanch type cells and features of construction hereinafter described.

Figure 1 shows the curve obtained by plotting the internal resistances of a series of cells (determined by the Wheatstone bridge null method using a telephone as the detector) as ordinates against the apparent density of the depolarizer mass or more strictly the Weight of depolarizer mixture occupyingv a given volume, which is a measure of the pressure to which the mass has been submitted. The actual absciss are weights of the graphite component ofthe mixtures for the same volume;

. Fig. 2 illustrates typical discharge curves. The curve A-B is typical `of that `from an ordinary Leclanch cell, and the curve A-C is typical of that from a cell according to the present invention. These discharge curves are obtained by discharge through an external resistance of 10 ohms with acell of '55 mm. square by 125 mm. long.

Fig. 3 illustrates diagrammatically one form of cell according to this invention', in which a is a zinc cylinder sufficiently thick not to be deformed by any pressure developing during working. The bottom b is conveniently formed of a dished disk, autogc is the usu'alabsorbent layer employed inside the cylinfier to permit only of electrolytic conductbn between the zinc and the carbon poles.'y al is a depolarizer mass, and c is the carbon electrode; f is a layer .of paper onv layer of husks to absorb any liquid which may exude from the cell; Z is a. layer of pitch sealing in the husks in position; and

m is a furtherv paper disk separating v the pitch and thehusks. n is a layer of bitumen'v on the. top; of the pitch, audio is a vent through the pitch and bitumen.' The zinc one form, I provide a molding cylinder, into which I insert thevcarbon 'electrode,'and I fill in a depolarizer paste made ofthe usual' composition of 'graphite and, manganese 'i dioxid. -1 and a is desirablet0-dividethemanganese dioxid as finely as possible, but. the. graphite is ground to about vthe usual lneness. The paste is made" up with distilled water, a mixture of say graphite' with M1102 being used, and is filled in around the carbon plate. Pressure' is then applied by means of suitable molding blocks in a. screw or hydraulic press, andthe predetermined preure thus put upon the de- `polarizer It is found varieties of thelcom'ponents of the mixture,

there isyaicritical region of pressure, within whichl'tlefinternal resistance attains a Inmimum value.

The absolute value of this y critical pressure, however, varies with the as above vdescribed,it is removed froml theQl resistances against the .different pressures.

' When thedepolarizer has lbeen' molded actual 4materials; used, viz., .with thequality and state-of divisionof the grayhite and the' manganese' dioxid; It is there ore necessary 4to determinedor every given batch of materials what the critical 'pressure' is. This maybe done readily yby van actual experi- .ment, makinganumberof cells with different. vpressures,fand plotting' the .internal around the plate under thecri-tical pressure,-

1 press, and'themolded block is forced out lof 'l 'the mold. .Itfwillbe` found that its surface fis still slightly-Jplastiaso that it can be j"'50- critica pressure may' vary from 'abrn'it 20 'Slighu .deformed-warum angers. TheL lbs. to about lbs.'per. square inch.

-The ne ative pole thus prepared is I. 1in' a suita le zinc container with the lusual' solution soaked lining. and the `cell com-- I' pletedin the usual way.

I prefer however, to make ,-r'ithe zinc con-- Itainer or the latter with'itscasing. gf-such Lacasse l for obtaining the best that with allfthe ordinary of the critical gi 1. 3i An electric cell'liitving an anode principally vcomposed ofgd a depolarizer vmix-- provided wah means for'fminaiamga am that' the 'pressure is during the life ofhe cell. and expansion bf '60 the depolarizer is" practically prevented.

'In'carryling the-inventionv intoeect in Vi Aanother form,1 make the zinc container ofv lpreferably autogenouslyjwelded zinc 'parts W 'and strengthen them circumferentlally say 65 by-providm reinforcing bands at intervals along `their ength. 1 v In making up cells according tothis in-A vention in another form 1 providea layer 'of inert bitumen between the outer vcaslllg:7a

and the zinc coni-. ainer.v TheV bitumenjmay- 'be placedin the bottom of the outer case\ and the zinc container' pressed `into position so that the bitumen is` pressed out into a thin layer between the two. In this waya perfectly; im ermeable layer is formed whichretains a liquidin the event(Hiperv foration of the zinc 'which lis liablefto take place when the life of the cell is lengthened. The outer casing may be' 'of cardboard. "30

In `still another, form the outer casing mayJ l lbe relied on to provide the resistanceto' ex pansion desired for maintaining the pressureabout the required point. v

This maintenance of Y ressre isfdesirable The outer may thus be ofthin metal or of papier mch, cellulcid or the! like, of suliicient strength forthe purpose and in some cases the layer of bitumen may b e sealed in and p ut under pressure. Having now described my invention, what s I claim asnew and desire to secure by Let ters Patent is:- .f`

' 1. Anelectric cellh'aving a depolarizer mixture subjected to apressure vinthe region v an internal' resistance to' the cell abgiut a minimum value. 2. An electric cell Having adepolarizer i mixture subjected'to a ,.j1`,ressur e theregion 100 of:` the critical pressure giv' an" internal resistance to the cell abut a value, i

provided with mansfyfor maintainjngthe Y internal resistance ataliout that value.

ture subjected to -in theregon 'ofthe `critical pressure giving'faninternal'.

resistance to the cell about a value,

110 lnternal 'resistance .at about vthat value, means being independent ofthemechanical strengthof the zinc anode.

In testimony whereof-I ha ,'vesignedY my,v

name to this specification# storen Nixommvicn Amarone.; 

